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The Futureforth Blog

Did you know today is the iPhone's tenth birthday? I'm celebrating my own ten-year milestone today too. 10 years on Linkedin! It's not much of a celebration really, it's not like LinkedIn noticed. I have all of my first dates on my calendar to remind me. I will celebrate my first post on Facebook on January 22, and my first tweet on Twitter on February 18th (both were parenting related). Both dates will also be ten-year anniversaries. I wonder if Facebook or Twitter will remember.

My relationship with LinkedIn has been good. I had a wonderful time as a keynote speaker when LinkedIn had the LinkedIn Live Conference in Nashville. I also advised Refresh, a company that was later acquired by LinkedIn. Both are LinkedIn-related milestones I am proud of.

LinkedIn Recommendations and Profile Optimizations

One of my main uses of LinkedIn is to give and receive recommendations. I always ask for one from my speaking and consulting clients. This is how I have accrued nearly eighty recommendations over my ten years on the professional social network.

The holiday season is the best time to get out to local networking events to meet new people and see old friends. Get started by reviewing your inbox (and spam folders) for invites you might have missed. Follow this by checking Facebook facebook.com/events for invites and ideas. RSVP and get out there.

8 Holiday Networking Tips

1. Smiles are contagious. Even if you are nervous, your smile will tell people you are friendly and happy to meet new people.

2. Be nice. Avoid gossip or trashing talking anyone. Look for ways you can help the people you meet. Maybe you can provide an introduction during the event you are attending.

3. Set goals. Think about why you are attending the event. You aren't just attending for the free h'orderves and cocktails. What do you hope to gain by attending? Who do you wish to meet? What would you like the outcome to be?

4. Avoid too many h'orderves and cocktails. This is pretty obvious, but we all know that guy who misses the memo each year. Should you have one too many take a cab or Uber home. Better yet… don't drive to the event in the first place.

5. Talk to strangers. Get away from the usual crowd to meet new people. The people standing alone don't wish to be alone. If they wanted to be alone they would have stayed home. Go introduce yourself and ask them what brings them to the event.

6. Ask questions and listen. When you ask someone a question, be sure to look them in the eyes as they are answering. Make them feel like they are the only person in the room. Ask a follow-up question like, "How did that make you feel?" or "What happened next?"

7. Don't be a Las Vegas blackjack dealer with your business cards. Ask for someone's business card after you have talked and a connection has been made. Just because you asked where the bathroom is, is not an opportunity to ask for a card. Save some trees by refraining from handing out your cards, unless you are asked for one. Someone else's card is far more valuable because you have their information to follow-up. Otherwise, you are left hoping they follow-up with you.

8. Follow up. I wrote a post here recently about the importance of following up. Following up is the second most important part of networking after showing up. The longer you leave it, the less likely you will reconnect with the person. This is a wasted opportunity to help them and build a new relationship.

What is the second most important step in networking?

In my book, New Business Networking, I remind my readers how showing up is the most important part of professional networking. When you don't take the time to attend the event you miss out. You have to brush off the fear and excuses and get out to meet new people. If you aren't meeting new people you aren't networking effectively.

The second most important step in networking is the follow-up. I'm willing to bet there is a pile of business cards on your desk that you have been neglecting since the last event you attended. Am I right?

In order to get the most return on your time spent networking you must follow up. When I speak with colleagues about this step they often admit they skip it. Here are some ways to improve your follow up.

Follow-up while you are fresh.

After every conference or networking event allocate time to following up. Set fifteen minutes on your calendar per day to email the people you met. Doing so as soon as possible will help the recipient remember you. The longer you leave it, the less fresh you are in their minds.

Jar their memory.

Attendees at my networking workshops know they must take notes on business cards to help them remember how they should follow-up. When they write that email, they refer back to the note, so they can jar the recipient's memory on what they talked about. For example, perhaps they spoke about a recent hockey game. The sender can include a link to a related story or video from YouTube. This will help the recipient remember them.

Include a call to action.

When you follow-up think of a call to action. What do you want the recipient to do after your email? I like to write a summary blog post about my experiences at a conference. I include the link to the blog post in my follow-up. Perhaps you took photos at the event. You could upload the images to your Facebook page and send a link to the album. This will get the recipient one step closer to liking your page or visiting your blog. Another call to action is an invitation to speak over the phone, or meet for a "no agenda" coffee. Always put yourself in the recipient's shoes when answering the question, "What's in it for me?"

Connect on LinkedIn.

I am a big fan of LinkedIn because it is the most powerful social network for professional networking. Instead of sending the recipient a connection request right away, use email to let them know. Not everyone checks LinkedIn frequently. Mention in your follow-up email that you are going to send them a connection request on LinkedIn, so you can offer an introduction to someone in your network (should they need it). This offers value to the recipient. In your subsequent LinkedIn connection request remind the person how you met, so they are more likely to accept your request.

Following up is a crucial part of networking that is too often overlooked or ignored. Become a better networker by following these steps. Read on for more tips about networking.

When it comes to building our businesses online a blog is an essential tool. Your company blog earns organic (unpaid) traffic from search engines. You can use it to network with your customers, potential customers, employees, and industry peers. Blogging for business helps to promote your products, services, and culture. Consider your site as your brochure and your blog as your business' heart and soul.

The trouble with blogging for business is you can easily run out of ideas for new topics to write about. The following are five ideas (and a bonus item) for blog posts that will help inspire you to keep hitting the publish button.

1. Ask your customer service department for the most common questions they receive.

Your customer service department is on the front lines of your business. They are the first to receive and answers calls and emails from your customers. By asking them for the most common questions, you will be inspired to answer them in blog posts. Not only does this help you create new content, but your customer service team can then point customers to the blog post for further help.

2. Subscribe to industry blogs and trade journals. Write an opinion post about a new trend in your industry.

A quick Google search will help you discover industry specific publication websites. These sites typically have blogs of their own with an array of different content related to your field. Write a blog post sharing your opinion about a story. Be sure to link back to the original post. Bonus points if you take the time to include the author's Twitter handle, so they will see your post. I also recommend tagging the publication on Facebook when you share your blog post on your Facebook Page.

3. Feature your favorite customers or partners.

Use your blog post to shine the light on your biggest fans. Ask them for their own advice about using your products or services and include it in a blog post. Ask them for a photo and how they wish their name be credited in the post. Be sure to follow up and send them a link when the blog post is live, so they may promote it to their friends and colleagues too.

4. Search YouTube.

YouTube is still the second most popular search engine. Pop on and do a search for industry terms or experts. Watch a presentation or documentary video and share it in a blog post. Use the embed code from the video to display it within the post, so readers can click play and not leave your blog to view it. Don't forget to let the presenter or brands know you wrote about them on your blog.

5. The Mini Book Report

Be diligent about taking notes as you read your next non-fiction book. Write a mini book report blog post that includes the key things you learned reading it. Don't give everything away, but use the post to help promote the book. Link back to the author's page and be sure to let them know you wrote the blog post.

So often we rush from post to post without letting people know we wrote about them. Directly reaching out to a person featured in your blog post can lead to a new relationship. They may even share your blog post with their own friends, fans, and followers driving organic traffic back to your site.

According to Blogher, eighty-one percent of US online consumers trust information and advice from blogs. A study from InsideView found that business to business marketers who use blogs generate sixty-seven percent more leads than those that do not. If you aren't blogging yet, or if your blog has run out of juice, it's time to get it back up and running.

Something for you.

I have a five-step, super-secret blog strategy that I share with my clients. I've made it available to you here: supersecret.futureforth.com.

I recently received a LinkedIn message from a friend, who wanted to know how I have received 70 recommendations on LinkedIn. Recommendations are an essential part of your profile because would-be clients or employers want to learn more about you before working with you.

The following is my strategy for growing the number of LinkedIn recommendations on your profile.

When I complete a speaking event, training workshop or client engagement, I always ask for a LinkedIn recommendation. If you want to improve your LinkedIn profile, you must add recommendations. This is how I do it.

5 Steps to Rocking LinkedIn Recommendations

Step 1. Ask your client for a LinkedIn recommendation via email. Do so this way because not everyone uses LinkedIn regularly, so they may not see your request. Don't be presumptuous — ask them to do so only if they are totally satisfied with your work.

Step 3. Wait. Be patient. Give your client time to submit their recommendation. If you do not receive one in a couple of weeks, it is fine to follow up to remind them via email.

Step 4. When the recommendation has been submitted you can choose to make it appear on your profile. Be sure to activate the "Notify your network?" button, so the recommendation may appear on the feeds of your connections. Share this on your profile. You can also share a link to your recommendations by adding "#recommendations" to the url like: www.linkedin.com/in/davedelaney/#recommendations.

Step 5. Send a thank-you email. It takes time to think of kind words to compose. Be sure to thank your client. A written card is even better.

Bonus tip. If you have a testimonials page on your site, consider copying and pasting their recommendation to your page. Include their name, title, headshot and link it to their LinkedIn profile. You can see how I have done so here: futureforth.com/testimonials.

For every recommendation you receive, try to write two (or more) for people in your own network. Review your recent emails, messages, and social network interactions to find people whose work you respect. Whether you believe in karma or not, what goes around does come around. In networking it is always best to help others, so do so with a few LinkedIn recommendations today.

Psst, want to hear a secret? I have come up with a blogging strategy for businesses who wish to connect with their local communities. This is a simple way you can use your blog to network with fellow small business owners. Using this technique will also promote your people, which is essential in employee retention and growing a sound company culture.

How does this sound to you?

Are you ready to have my secret strategy revealed? There is no cost to you. All you need is about twenty minutes. You can watch this video during your lunch break, in fact, I encourage it because it will leave you hungry. Ok, enough teasing from me.

How often do you stop and consider the content you are producing for your business? Whether you are writing a blog post, newsletter, proposal, advertising or marketing copy, you can often get so busy you don't consider the main outcome you wish to achieve.

On September 16, the Tribe Conference will take place in Franklin, TN. It is a gathering of creative entrepreneurs who wish to get the attention their work deserves. Organizer, Jeff Goins, has produced an impressive line-up of speakers. I am excited to be among them.

While reviewing the line-up, I realized the speakers are all leaders in business communications. I reached out directly to share their insights with you about ways to improve your marketing content.

5 Expert Business Writing Tips

1. "You must go to unreasonable lengths to deeply understand the problems, pains, fears and frustrations your readers face. Identify the pain — or need as they experience it — describe it to them in their own words, and give them valuable solutions even in your marketing materials. Think of marketing copy not as a way to sell, but a way to serve. Marketing should be something we do for people — not something we do to them." said Ray Edwards, founder and CEO, Ray Edwards International Inc.

2. "Keep it succinct, and give it some personality so it will be remembered." Pamela Wilson, executive vice president of educational content, Rainmaker Digital (Copyblogger).

3. "Know the audience you are writing for, ideally, personalize the target group as if you are speaking to a single person directly. If you don't know the people who will read your pitch, you have no idea of how to not just meet their expectations but to exceed them to the degree that they are willing to change their minds and take the actions you recommend. Empathize with the audience above all and your work will be potent. What is their biggest problem? How can your work help them fix it? What story can you tell that will take them from suspicion of your motives to interest in your prescriptions? Those three questions must be at the front of your mind as you craft every sentence of copy." Shawn Coyne, writer, editor, publisher, agent, Genre Managment Inc. and Black Irish Entertainment LLC.

5. "If you have something to say, write like you speak. Don't try to sound smart, impressive, or academic. If you need help, get it. Don't be ashamed because you don't know the difference between an appositive, antecedent, or auxiliary verb (I don't know what they are). I'm dyslexic, have trouble spelling some of the most basic words, and I've written 6 books. Some aren't bad. A few have been on the NY Times, WSJ, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestseller lists. So there's that." Michael Port, NYT, WSJ bestseller author of 6 books including Book Yourself Solid and Steal the Show, Heroic Public Speaking.

I recommend you print out this post and return to these expert tips as you prepare your next marketing content. If you plan to attend the Tribe Conference, be sure to say hello.

I love improv comedy. I've written here several times about my own experiences performing improv over the years. In fact, my presentation at Hubspot's Inbound Conference was all about how you can improve your life with improv. Imagine how excited I was when I learned Nashville was getting a club dedicated to improv and other forms of comedy.

Four years ago, Luke Watson, an Atlanta-born and raised improv comedy actor, moved to Nashville. At the time, Music City only had several improv troupes performing in the bars, cafes, and restaurants scattered around town. Space was limited for live improv comedy because this is music city. There wasn't a strong comedy tribe, because each performer and troupe was traveling to multiple venues around town. They lacked an in-person place to all convene.

Luke founded his own improv troupe, LOL Nashville. He also founded and produced the Third Coast Improv Fest. The improv festival brought together local troupes in ways they hadn't connected before. During these networking opportunities, Luke met Scott Field, the artistic director of Music City Improv, and co-founder of Improv Nashville. They both noted the constant challenge for members of their tribes to find regular venues to perform in. This is when the idea of Third Coast Comedy Club was born.

If You Build It They Will Come

The excitement came swiftly from Nashville's improv community when Luke and Scott announced their vision of their new home for local comedians. They didn't just want improvisers. They wanted all comedic art forms: sketch, stand-up, variety shows, live podcasts, talk shows, and of course, improv too. They found a location, but it was time to raise the capital to make it all happen. This is when they decided to run a Kickstarter campaign.

One of the best ways to test a concept is by connecting with a community first and using a crowdfunding platform such as Kickstarter. Crowdfunding expert and CEO of CrowdfundingHacks.com, Clay Hebert told me, "Find your tribe. Let them inside your process. Show them the journey. And then, when you're ready, you launch the project to your tribe. Don't launch and hope that magically the platforms will bring your tribe to you."

With a goal of raising $25,000, they launched their Kickstarter campaign and quickly surpassed their goal to $32,480. They were ready to invest their own money to make their club come to life, but achieving their goal on Kickstarter meant they now had the capital and community support to do it. Luke told me he loved the all-or-nothing aspect of Kickstarter. Their tribe had spoken.

Luke explains what really made this all happen, "Without the relationships and friendships Scott and I have made over the last several years with local comedians, the club would never have happened. We wouldn’t have felt the dream was possible. We wouldn’t have hit our Kickstarter goal. We wouldn’t have had the extra hands to help us paint and finish the buildout. We would have never opened our doors. Nearly every interaction at every comedy event in Nashville paid off in making the Third Coast Comedy Club a reality."

Today, there are twelve improv troupes performing regularly around town. Sketch comedy is starting to pick-up, and there are over seventy-five opportunities to see stand-up this month alone in Nashville. When Third Coast Comedy Club officially opens it's doors, it will stand as a testament of a dedicated tribe of comedians and comedy lovers in this city.

In Seth Godin's book "Tribes", he writes, "You can't have a tribe without a leader and you can't be a leader without a tribe." Luke and Scott found their tribe. Take a few minutes today to ruminate about your tribe. I'm excited to tap back into my love for improv. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with my tribe soon. Before starting your own Kickstarter campaign, be sure you have a tribe to support you too.

When it comes to searching the web, most of us start with Google. Savvy networking professionals know to broaden their search to LinkedIn, where they can discover whom they should connect with at any particular company (like Futureforth, you're following, right?).

Did you know Facebook has it's own powerful search? The following are answers to popular questions on how to use Facebook's search.

How do I search my Facebook posts?

Have you ever wanted to go back to find that interesting article you shared on your Facebook profile? On desktop, select the upside-down triangle icon on the top right. Select "Activity Log." You can use the Activity Search engine, or you can scroll through your updates by date.

How can I find friends in a specific city?

Whenever I am traveling to speak at a conference, I use Facebook to recall who my friends are in that city. In the main Facebook search, enter: "my friends who live in NAMEOFCITY." I love to catch up in person with old friends this way.

How do I use Facebook to recall how I know someone?

Select the person's profile. Click the three dots on the top right side of their profile cover image (next to Message). Select "See Friendship." Facebook will generate a page with photos, videos and status updates you posted on each other's walls. If you haven't had many interactions, the page might be rather bare.

How can I find someone I know who works for a particular company?

LinkedIn is always the top destination to determine who you might know that works for a business. You also can use Facebook to find this out, which is helpful if you aren't connected to all of your Facebook friends on LinkedIn.

Search "my friends who work at COMPANYNAME." If the company has multiple locations, you can search "my friends who work at COMPANYNAME in CITYNAME."

How can I find my friends who like a page on Facebook?

Let's say you want to chat with friends who like a specific brand on Facebook. You can find them by searching "my friends who like BRANDPAGE." Inquire with your friends before you make the purchase. After all, what are friends for?

I'm thousands of miles from home and craving barbecue. How can I find a good restaurant on Facebook?

We all miss the taste of home when we're traveling. Hop on Facebook and search "barbecue restaurants in CITYNAME." You will even see the restaurants your friends have liked.

How do I clear my Facebook search history?

If you found what you were looking for and want to clear your searches, do the following. Go to your profile and select "Activity Log" (like you did to search your posts). On the left side you will see "Photos, Likes, Comments, More."

Select "More" and "Search." At the top right corner you will see "Clear Searches."

I hope these Facebook search tips will help you get more from your use of the gigantic social network. If you are seeking help with your business page or Facebook advertising, please reach contact us.

I am a big fan of podcasting, which explains why I have written about the medium so much over the years. I have hosted and produced multiple podcasts, and I have even co-hosted a workshop to teach people how to create a podcast from scratch. As a digital marketing consultant, I need to stay abreast of new trends and technologies to recommend to my clients. To stay up to date, I subscribe and listen to several fantastic marketing podcasts. The following are a few of my favorites that will help you too.

7 Marketing Podcasts You Should Try

The BeanCast. Each week host, Bob Knorpp, welcomes a panel of advertising and marketing experts to discuss current industry news. There are always a few laughs and ah-ha moments. This show leans more towards advertising than marketing but is still extremely valuable to marketers. www.thebeancast.com

Marketing Over Coffee. I still remember back when hosts, John Wall and Christopher S. Penn, used to meet early in the mornings at a local Dunkin Donuts to record this show (hence the name). Both hosts are true kings of marketing who share industry secrets and opinions that will help you fuel your own marketing efforts. If you are seeking a conversational podcast that leans more towards marketing technology, this one is for you. marketingovercoffee.com

Beyond the To Do List. Erik J. Fisher hosts this interview show about ways to improve your productivity. It's not a marketing show, but everyone should strive to be more productive. If you are looking for clarity and techniques to get more done in a day, don’t miss this one. beyondthetodolist.com

Six Pixels of Separation. Mitch Joel is a well-respected thought-leader, author, speaker, and business leader in the digital marketing space. Each week he welcomes a guest author who shares insights. Mitch isn’t afraid of playing devil’s advocate, which helps keep the discussions interesting. twistimage.com/podcast

Duct Tape Marketing. If you are seeking a podcast that leans more towards sales but still includes plenty of marketing tips, don’t miss John Jantsch’s podcast. John is one of the best small business marketing consultants out there. ducttapemarketing.com/blog/category/podcast

Marketing Smarts from MarketingProfs. Kerry O’Shea Gorgone is a smart, personable host. This podcasts delivers actionable insights and real marketing advice from industry experts. Kerry brings a refreshing sense of humor and personality to her style. She interviews authors and experts in marketing. I recommend subscribing to the MarketingProfs email newsletter too. marketingprofs.com/podcasts

Social Media Examiner’s Social Media Marketing Podcast. Michael Stelzner interviews his guests to discuss marketing tips related specifically to social media. I love how Michael reiterates key points and pushes his guests to outline their tactics simply. If you are seeking marketing knowledge in social media, check out this show. socialmediaexaminer.com/podcasts

Everyone needs to be a better marketer

Whether you are building your business or career, everyone needs to be a better marketer. I am confident these seven podcasts will help you achieve this.

If you enjoy the shows, be sure to leave a review in iTunes. Consider paying for the free advice with some positive words and a five-star rating. I know each host will love you for it.